Heavenly Playground
by Night-Mare-Chan
Summary: Growing up isn't easy....especially if you're a god.
1. The Fight For A Country

The woman looked in on the four children. They were sleeping peacefully...for once. The dark haired boy, the oldest, was curled up in a ball. The covers were pulled over his head as if a shell against the night. He was a still sleeper like he didn't want to be noticed.

The white haired boy was sleeping with an easy grace. He was stretched out on his stomach, leaning his head on his arm. His snow white hair fell around his peaceful face. The woman knew that at one sound, he would be awake and alert, ready for anything that would come at him. 

The blue haired boy was lying on his side Body tensed, fingers curled into claws. His eyes darted behind closed lids and his fingers

scrabbled against the bed. He twisted his head and bit the pillow, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

The woman shook her head and looked to the youngest's bed with a fond smile. The redhead was a happy, playful child. She frowned as she saw his covers pulled up over his head. That wasn't like him at all. Was he distressed about something? Gliding over to the bed, she pushed back the covers. There was nothing there but pillows. The woman's eyebrow twitched in irritation. She looked up, narrowing her eyes at the open window. That boy… 

"Suzaku! Get back in here!" she screamed.

---

Suzaku flexed his wings and glanced over his shoulder at the mountain peak. Taiitsukun-sama's command bounced off the clouds all around him. He didn't want to go back! The stars were so pretty tonight. Tomorrow, he would have seven constellations all to himself. A whole bunch of pretty stars. 

He would just pretend he hadn't heard her. The eleven-year-old god smiled and spread his wings. The warm air lifted him higher and higher. The clouds swum below him like little fluffy sheep. He wished Taiitsukun-sama would let him sleep out here. But she was afraid he would sneak off and visit the mortals. It wasn't his fault. He liked mortals!

"Suzakuseikun! Byakko help me if you don't get back in here-"

"No I won't!" Byakko called cheerily.

"Go back to sleep!"

"Yes, Taiitsukun-sama," Byakko said and giggled. 

"If I have to come after you..." the creator snarled. Suzaku winced. Taiitsukun's punishments were not to be taken lightly. He changed into his phoenix form, flicked his tail and circled back to the palace. Taiitsukun-sama was glaring at him from the window, black eyes glittering with ice. Oooh boy. She was mad. He sighed… Well, if he was going to be punished anyway.

"I CALL THE SOUTH!" he screamed. Then, tucking his wings close to his side, streaked down through the clouds.

"SUZAKU!" Taiitsukun-sama bellowed.

---

Seiryuu's eyes flicked open as his younger brother's words tore through the air. What? No! The south was his! He would have to claim it before that bird brain of a brother did. Spitting out his pillow, he jumped to his feet and barged past her out the window. She was so startled she only stared at him for a few seconds. Before she had the chance to react, he jumped. As he fell, he shifted effortlessly into his dragon form. That little bird was dead!

"SEIRYUU!" Taiitsukun-sama snapped. The god winced, knowing that she was probably going to kill him later. But this was far more important. He fell through the clouds, scanning for his youngest brother. A flash of crimson streaked by to his left. Seiryuu snapped his head to the side, opened his mouth and let loose a blast of bright blue chi.

"AAAH!" Suzaku screamed as the blast sent him into a helpless spin. "TAIITSUKUN-SAMA! SEIRYUU'S BLASTING ME AGAIIIN!" 

"She won't do anything unless you go back!" Seiryuu spat at him, "and if you were smart you would! The south is going to be mine!" 

"NEVER!" 

So Suzaku wanted to be stubborn? Fine! The twelve-year-old god aimed another blast toward his brother's rear. This time, the phoenix dodged it. He wheeled into a cloud bank and was lost from sight. Seiryuu wasn't going to bother following him. Suzaku was too good a flyer. But where Suzaku had the tricks, Seiryuu had the speed. Chuckling to himself he renewed his swim through the air.

---

Byakko sat up, scraping his hair from his face. Seiryuu and Suzaku were all ready gone. That wasn't fair! Not at all! Why should his little brothers get first pick? He should get first pick. Sure he wasn't oldest, or the most powerful, but he was the prettiest. Tail flicking irritably; he padded toward the window, golden slitted eyes carefully watching the creator. He tapped her on her shoulder. When she turned he slipped into the place between her and the window. Her head snapped around like lightning, catching him. Her hand reached out for him. Byakko smirked and back flipped gracefully out the window. 

"BYAKKO!" The heat in her voice ruffled his tail fur. She was not happy. Well, with any luck, she'd be so tired after punishing the brats; she wouldn't even get to him. 

The thirteen-year-old changed into his tiger form, bounding across the clouds. Now, where was that blue brat? He didn't have the arial skill of Suzaku, nor the speed of his dragon brother, but he had something they didn't have. He was smarter then both of them combined. In retrospect, that really wasn't saying much. Suzaku suddenly swooped down to glide beside him. 

"What are you doing here?" Suzaku asked. "I thought you said you didn't care what you got."

"I don't," Byakko said with a sniff. "I just want the south now, that's all."

"Well the south is mine!" Seiryuu growled.

"Not if I get there first," Byakko said, completely unruffled by his brother's threatening tone. 

"You won't!" Seiryuu let loose a blast of chi. 

Byakko jumped over it, fell through the air, and landed perfectly on the branch of a tree. Above him, Suzaku screeched in pain. Byakko watched absently as his littlest brother flashed by him, spinning end over end and ultimately crashing into a thick cluster of trees. Shaking his head, the young god leapt back into the air and resumed his run. 

---

Genbu slowly opened his eyes. What...what was going on? He looked around the darkened room. His brother's were gone. Probably to claim a country! He scowled and kicked the covers off him. He was the eldest! The first claim was rightfully his! 

He shuffled to his feet and plodded to the window. There was no need to rush pell-mell as he knew his siblings must be doing. There was a much more direct route. Taiitsukun-sama was by the window, rubbing her temples. She did that a lot lately. Maybe he could sneak past her. He clambered up on the windowsill, nearly losing his balance. He glanced back at Taiitsukun-sama to see if she'd noticed. Her ice black eyes were boring holes into him. Ooops. 

"Umm. Konbanwa, Taiitsukun-sama." He sweatdropped. "It's a nice night isn't-" he was cut off when she shrieked and booted him out the window. Changing into his god form, he pulled himself completely inside his shell. Taiitsukun-sama was mad. Why should she be? They were only staking out their territory. Of course, it was the middle of the night, and she had promised they could do it fairly tomorrow. But that couldn't be the reason she was mad...could it? 

He continued to fall through the air. It was so dark inside his shell. Coiling his snake head around his tortoise head, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

---

The south was coming up. Suzaku pumped his wings, desperately trying to keep ahead of his brothers. Seiryuu was so fast and Byakko wasn't above sneaking behind him and nipping at his tail feathers. Genbu was probably on the trail now too. 

Being the youngest, he had to work for what he wanted. It was so hard sometimes! They were all stronger then him. The borderline of the south whiz by under his talons…but the race wasn't over yet. In order to claim this country they had to go to the capital and announce the claim in front of mortals. 

"Do you know the palace's south window?" Byakko asked, coming to run beside him

"Y…yes," Suzaku said, hoping the tiger didn't decide to bite him. 

"Who ever gets in there first wins. That's where the throne room is!" Byakko pulled ahead. Seiryuu was just a distant speck. Suzaku clenched his talons. He had to go faster! Faster! He flapped with all his heart thrown in it. He wouldn't lose! He would- not- lose! 

The city came into view, and with it, the palace. With a start, he realized he was ahead. Just a little more! The window was open, lantern light streaming out, inviting him in. He stretched his neck out, pulled up his feet as far as they would go and narrowed his eyes. The south was as good as his.

---

The emperor shivered. Something was giving him the chills. There must be a chill in the air. It was just the time of year for cold snaps. He gestured to a servant to close the south window. The servant complied. There were three sequential thuds and the palace vibrated. The emperor jumped to his feet, heart slamming in his throat.

"What was that?"

"A demon!" The empress cried, face pale. He sat back down, tried to appear calm, and patted his wife's hand gently.

"It's probably just the wind, dear. Don't worry."

---

"Itaiii," Suzaku moaned. He hurt. He was plastered against the closed widow, with the dragon's heavy weight against him. Byakko must have hit too.

"Seiryuu," the tiger gasped. "Your scales feel like rocks!"

"Get your claws out of my back!" Seiryuu yelled.

"Get offa me!" Suzaku whined. There was a whistling sound and all three looked up. A huge black object was hurtling down toward them at incredible speed.

"AAHHH! GENBU! CHANGE COURSE! CHANGE COURSE!" Byakko screamed. Genbu stuck his snake head out of his shell.

"Nani? Oh!" He stuck his head back in, removed his arms and legs and started paddling frantically. It was too late. Suzaku closed his eyes. This was really going to- 

*Splat*

---

Byakko rolled to his feet and stared, concerned at his little brother. Suzaku was flat on the ground, wings spread out and feet sticking straight up in the air. He reached out and tentatively poked the phoenix with his paw.

"Do you think he's still alive?" Seiryuu asked. Byakko rolled his eyes.

"Of course he's still alive, moron," Genbu said, "he's immortal!" 

"We'd better get him back to Taiitsukun-sama," Byakko said. _We'd all better get back to Taiitsukun-sama. Changing into his boy form, he reached down to pick his brother up. The phoenix suddenly sprang to life. Baykko felt sharp talons dig into his shoulder as Suzaku used him for a launching pad._

"Hey!" Byakko cried.

"Cheater!" Seiryuu yelled. 

---

Suzaku grinned to himself. He wasn't a cheater. He was just very determined. He loved this kingdom...and love conquered all. He straightened himself out like an arrow and smashed through the window. The humans stood and stared at him. Landing took some doing, but he managed without one stumble. As tall as a man and as long as four oxen combined, he knew he made an impressive sight. He looked every human in the eye. They were his people. He had watched them from the clouds many times. One by one they dropped to their knees. 

I AM SUZAKUSEIKUN. He said in his best god voice. The emperor and empress bowed at that. I CLAIM THIS PLACE TO BE MY KINGDOM! ~SO BITE ME SEIRYUU!~ he finished in a voice only his brothers would hear.

---

Byakko calmly walked away from the palace. Oh well, so his brother had won, so what? It was no big thing. He padded onto the river and slid across the water, jumping over late night fishing boats that were on it. The fishermen didn't see him. They couldn't if he didn't want to. 

He needed a good country. It didn't matter which, just a good one. Soon he came upon a large desert in the western lands, beyond that were thick rainforests. Hmm…this place wasn't so bad. The greenery was perfect and the barren desert was quite a challenge. There was no palace as such, just the immaculate mansion of the most powerful tribal leader. That would be perfect. 

Making himself visible to the mortal eye, he trotted in, watching in amusement as the guards stared. It wasn't everyday they got to see something so beautiful. The tiger came to the central room and flopped down, licking his paw absently. Not a few seconds later, the tribal leader burst in, ungroomed hair flying about his face. 

"What...what to you want? Why are you here?" the man stammered.

I AM THE GREAT POWERFUL BYAKKOSEIKUN. THIS LAND IS MINE, HUMAN. I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE HERE, he said. After a few moments of startled silence the tribal leader bowed. Byakko smiled. He might not be perfect but he was damned close.

---

Genbu plodded through the mountains, yawning every so often. He was so tired. He just wanted to find a country and go back to sleep. The snake part of him was still angry though. It hissed and twitched all over his shell. The tortoise part of him was more then a little annoyed with this. 

Eventually he came to a place spiked with mountains. The cold settled the snake down and made the tortoise even more tired. Snow crunched under his paws. This must be the north. The north was fine. The mountains would make a perfect bed. 

First though, he had to announce his presence. He plodded into the palace, ignoring the people who screamed and scattered from him. They were his people he supposed. At least they were now. A man darted out in front of him waving a pin threateningly...or was that a sword?

ARE YOU THE EMPEROR? Genbu asked.

"Y...yes," the man stammered. He looked like he was about to wet his robes.

GOOD. I AM GENBUSEIKUN. THIS IS MY LAND. GOOD NIGHT. The people continued to scream. The snake part twisted to look back at them. SILENCE! 

Once they had shut up, he pulled himself inside his shell and fell asleep. 

---

His brothers had left, but Seiryuu was too angry to move. Suzaku, the weak one, had gotten the southern kingdom! He'd just have to do something about it.

"IT'S NOT FAIR TAIITSUKUN-SAMA! THIS WAS MY

KINGDOM! I CLAIMED IT! HE CHEATED!" Seiryuu roared to the heavens. Taiitsukun-sama didn't answer. For once, the creator was silent.

"Hey lizard breath!" Suzaku yelled, poking his head out the damaged window, "You're disturbing the peace. How can I put this nicely? Hmm. GET LOST!"

"TAIITSUKUN-SAMA! I KNOW YOU SEE IT'S NOT

FAIR! SHOW ME WHO'S RIGHT!" 

A small cloud covered the moon and a bolt of lightning jotted down from it and struck Seiryuu in the rear. 

Suzaku nearly fell over from laughing so hard Seiryuu glared at his brother then stalked away. He stomped above the country; knocking birds every which way with his switching tail. As soon as he stepped over the north's boundary he realized it was all ready taken. He roared in frustration and stalked to the east; the only place that was left.

The east was the biggest and richest, but he didn't want that. Well he was sort of stuck with it now. He stalked up to the palace and commanded the doors open for him. They didn't and he walked into them.

Growling in pain and anger he smashed the doors down with his claws. 

He took a step inside, slipped on the waxed floor and knocked out one of the walls. The dragon picked himself up. Today was not his day. It was all Suzaku's fault! He found the throne room with little effort and smashed open those doors as well.

I AM SEIRYUUSEIKUN!! Seiryuu growled fiercely. The people stared at him with wide eyes in pale faces. 

Seiryuu snorted, stupid humans. He dug his talons into the floor and scraped them across it. The shrieking sound made the humans cower and cover their ears. He snarled at them. He had wanted the south! Not this puny place. He would make them work hard to get what he wanted. They were just mortals after all.

Notes: This story is all ready DONE. But it's old so I'll have to go through and update it. ^^: It shouldn't take too too long to finish it, but then, you never know. For those reading my other works, yes they WILL get done but I don't have a lot of time to do them in. ^^;

Special thanks to Moonsong

Standard disclaimers apply


	2. The Trouble With Seishi

Taiitsukun-sama floated down a dark passage. The only light was the magic that gleamed from her mirror. Suzaku, in boy form, followed her. He looked straight ahead because there was nothing else to look at, just dark. He didn't know where she was leading them. She was still pretty mad about a few days ago… Suzaku rubbed his still aching rear in memory. He'd never been chi blasted _that hard before. Although it had been rather funny to watch Genbu go smashing through the wall in boy form._

"You scared, Suzaku?" Seiryuu jeered. Suzaku ignored his older brother. Seiryuu was just mad because he got stuck with the east. There was nothing wrong with the east. It just wasn't the south. Suddenly sharp claws dug into Suzaku's side making him shriek. "Aw look. The little god _is_ scared!" 

"No I'm not, Seiryuu! That hurt!" 

"Uh-huh."

"Leave him alone, Seiryuu," Byakko said. "Why don't you pick on something of your own intelligence for once?  Something like a slug?"

"Why you…" The dragon moved to attack. Byakko lifted a hand and a razor sharp claw slid out of his finger tip.

"I'll slice your face off, dragon-boy," he said mildly. Seiryuu backed down, muttering something mean under his breath. Byakko flicked a strand of hair over his shoulder and continued down the hall. Suzaku grinned at his blue haired brother.

"Looks like your scareder then I am!" he crowed, immediately launching himself in the air before Seiryuu had a chance to hit him. The dragon god snarled and lifted his hand. The chi blast caught the phoenix in the stomach and sent him slamming up into the tunnel roof.

"Itaaaai…" he groaned.

"Stop messing around!" Genbu called from up ahead. Suzaku dropped back to the floor, folding his arms over his chest. His eldest brother was in a snakey mood this morning. He was almost as grumpy as Taiitsukun-sama was. It wasn't fair. Seiryuu could just blast him whenever he wanted and no one said a damned thing. If the creator wasn't so mad on him, he'd tell on Seiryuu in a heart beat!

His thoughts trailed away as the tunnel opened into a large cave. Seven pools, filled with a funny kind of water, lit the room eerily. Suzaku perched at the edge of one pool and glanced down in it. The water was alive. Amorphous shapes floated in it, moving slowly against each other. He couldn't tell the difference between them. 

"This is the cave of being. Those souls who will be born rest here," Taiitsukun-sama said. 

"Everyone who will ever be born?" Byakko asked, peering down into the souls.

"Everyone with the potential to be one of the shichi seishi. Look here."

 Suzaku turned to face her. Taiitsukun-sama swung her hand out and the walls were lit by mirrors. There were twenty eight mirrors, and under each mirror was a goblet resting on a table. Seven goblets were emerald, seven crystal, seven sapphire and seven ruby. 

"Choose the souls you want and put them in the goblet of your color," Taiitsukun-sama explained. "Now to make it _fair _you will all have to look in the same pool. But, you can only choose one from each." 

 "Okay!" Suzaku said cheerfully, jumping into the pool closest to him.  Souls splashed up as he landed and fell with a plip back among the others. The souls were warm and held the electricity of life. He carefully picked up a soul and watched it throb like a heartbeat in his hands. This…was…or was going to be, a shy human, nervous and high strung, kind of mean too. He slipped it back among the others and glanced up to see what his brothers were doing. 

Byakko was hunched on the edge of the pool, golden eyes flickering back and forth. Every once in a while his hand would dart out and scoop up a soul. Then he would shrug and toss it back. Genbu was slowly picking away examining each soul in his hand carefully. Seiryuu was…was no where to be found. Suzaku tensed. Uh-oh. Suddenly, the dragon jumped up in front of him, slapping him across the face with a soul.

"ACK!" Suzaku yelped, falling back and nearly being buried by the glowing blobs. When he managed to right himself, he gathered a bunch of souls in his hand and lobbed them back in his brother's direction. Seiryuu easily dodged.

"HA! You have to do better then that, bird boy!"

"I will, lizard breath!" He charged his brother, and using his wings for momentum, pushed him down into the souls. Seiryuu kicked up, caught him in the stomach, and sent him flying. Suzaku landed on his back a few feet away. Suzaku poked his head from the living mass. The first thing he noticed was Byakko looking annoyed. Souls draped all over him. Suzaku giggled.

"Sorry Byakkie-kun," he said, only half sincere. The white haired boy hissed under his breath and proceeded to peel souls off him, dropping them back into the pool.

"Can't you two just grow up? I mean-" he struggled to remove a soul that was tenaciously clinging to his hair. "It's somewhat-." He grunted. "Annoying!" he said finally managing to remove it. 

"He started it!" Suzaku whined, pointing to Seiryuu.

"Did not!" the other god shot back. Byakko wasn't paying attention to either of them. Instead a thoughtful look drifted into his eyes. He stood and started to take the soul away. 

"The first soul you take will be the leader of your seishi," Taiitsukun-sama said. Byakko nodded and went to the crystal glasses. Curious, Suzaku followed him. The tiger slipped the soul into the first glace and both of them sprung back as a ghost appeared. 

"Huh?" Suzaku breathed.

"That is what you're seishi will look like when the miko first arrives," Taiitsukun-sama said, coming to hover beside them.

"Nice choice Byakkie-kun."

"I know." 

The human was male; there was no doubt about that. Yet he was beautiful, with long soft hair that fell to the back of his legs and gentle eyes. 

"What are you going to call him?" Suzaku asked. 

"Umm…Chibi-Bya. Of course he's not half as beautiful as me but..."

"You can't do that, Byakko," the creator said.

"Why not, Taiitsukun-sama?"

"You have to name him after his constellation."

"What constellation?"

"Any one that's over the western sky."

"Hum…I guess…Tatara then. He looks like a Tatara." 

"Woah! I found a cute girl soul!" Seiryuu cried.

"Where?!" Suzaku yelled, bolting back toward the pool. Seiryuu was holding a squirming soul in his hands. It slipped out and away in the pool. Suzaku dove after it, spreading his wings to give him a longer leap. Seiryuu grabbed at his foot.

"Hey!" Suzaku cried.

"She's mine! I saw her first!" Seiryuu snarled.

"No! She's mine! You let her go!"

"Taiitsukun-sama! Tell him to stop chasing her!"

"No! Tell _him_ to stop chasing her! He let her go! She's fair game!" 

"He already got the south!"

"That's because you weren't fast enough, lizard breath!" 

"That's because you cheated, bird brain!"

"Did not! You're just too stupid to admit you're a loser!" Suzaku snapped. Seriyuu's blue eyes narrowed and his hand lifted. Yack!

"SEIRYUUSEIKUN! DON'T YOU DARE!" Taiitsukun-sama yelled. Seiryuu cowered away from the angry creator. "Suzaku is right. She _is fair game! Now stop squabbling before I blast you!" _

"Yeah, so thupp!" Suzaku said blowing a raspberry. Then, before the creator could threaten him too, dove after the cute girl soul. He caught one in his hands and felt it. It wasn't the girl soul. He scowled; about to throw it back, something stopped him. This soul...this soul was very loving. It had a big heart and a determination that surprised the young god. He liked it. Hopping out of the pool, he put the soul in his cup. The mirror flashed and the ghost appeared. He was a young man. His blue black hair was somewhat wild in the front and fell in a ponytail down his back. His eyes were a dark violet and his smile gentle, if somewhat arrogant. Suzaku smiled; yes...this would be it.

"Not bad," Byakko said, coming up beside him. "What's his name?"

"I don't know. He needs a nice sounding name…something that fits him."

"He looks like a Mitsukake to me." Suzaku wrinkled his nose.

"Too many syllables. I like Tamahome better."

"Suzaku...Tamahome is four syllables and Mitsukake's only three."

"I don't care. I like Tamahome better anyway." 

"What a stupid name," Seiryuu scoffed, dumping a soul into his sapphire goblet, "Tamahome...humph." A tall blond man appeared in front of the dragon. 

"Oh yeah? So what's his name?" Suzaku asked gesturing Seiryuu's ghost.

"Nuriko."

"That's one of _my_ constellations, moron," Suzaku said, rolling his eyes. Seiryuu blinked. 

"Oh…Subaru."

"That's mine," Byakko said "Don't you know _anything_ about your stars?"

"They weren't going to be my stars... If someone hadn't cheated!"

"Nyah!" Suzaku stuck out his tongue. Seiryuu returned the favor. 

"Honestly. You two…" Byakko muttered, shaking his head.. 

            "If you're so smart, bird braid, why don't _you _name my stars?"

"Well in the south there are, Tamahome, Hotohori, Nuriko, Chichiri, Tasuki, Mituskake and Chiriko. In the East there are Nakago, Amiboshi, Suboshi, Soi, Ashitare, Tomo and Miboshi. In the west there are Takara, Tokaki..."

"ALL RIGHT! I DIDN'T ASK FOR ALL TWENTY!"

"There are twenty eight," the redhead said with a giggle.

"Fine…this one's name is Nakago."

"Tomo's a much better name for him," Byakko said. "But of course you're not going to listen to me are you?"

"No," Seiryuu said with a grin.

"Did you say something, Byakkie-kun?" Suzaku asked, batting his eyes. The tiger shot them both with an annoyed look and smacked them upside the head.

"Hikutsu," Genbu said from the other end of the cave. They all looked to see another man in with long, light brown hair.

"I get to call the next pool!" Suzaku cried.

"Do not!" Seiryuu snapped. The phoenix launched himself at a pool, skimming above the ground. Seiryuu grabbed his foot, holding him back. Suzaku shrieked, trying to tug his foot from his brother's grip.

"TAIITSUKUN-SAMA! TELL SEIRYUU TO LET GOOO!" Suzaku wailed.

"TELL HIM I GET TO PICK THE POOL!" 

"IT'S MY TURN, LIZARD BREATH!"

"IS NOT! YOU GOT THE LAST ONE!"

"If you're done fighting..." 

Suzaku looked and saw Byakko waist deep in souls in the third pool. He strained his wings, trying to fly out of Seiryuu's grip. His brother suddenly let go.

---

Byakko didn't look up as his winged brother sailed over his head and slammed into the cave wall. Suzaku was sometimes too much of a brat for his own good. He brushed a red feather out of the pool and pushed delicately through the souls. The first one he'd liked because he was going to be gentle. Now the god wanted something fast and exciting. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his oldest brother casually pawing through souls..

He sighed to himself. Genbu was so slow and brutish. He also thought he knew everything, which could get slightly annoying at times. And boy was the tortoise ever a suck up. Yes, Taiitsukun-sama. No, Taiitsukun-sama. Whatever you wish, Taiitsukun-sama. He had no sense of adventure or fun or, Byakko flicked his hair over his shoulder, beauty.

Seiryuu could be vicious and had a competitive streak a mile wide. He always liked to pick on people and more then once Taiitsukun-sama had caught him with a human in his mouth. The dragon thought he owned the place and sometimes even Byakko was hard put to keep him in line.

Suzaku was immature and reckless. Sure the god was adorable at times and almost always happy…but he was a brat. He got away with a lot of things the others didn't. That wasn't so strange considering he was the youngest…and blissfully unaware of his freedoms. 

Byakko was glad that there was a god such as himself. A benevolent, beautiful, gentle god who was perfect in every way there was to be perfect. If he weren't there, who knows what the heavens would be like? 

"Hey, Byakkie-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"What does sexy mean?" 

Byakko glanced at his fiery haired brother. 

"It means really nice looking."

"Like cute?"

"Much better then cute."

"Well I don't care much about it then. Sorry sexy lady."

"SEXY LADY?!" Byakko, Genbu and Seiryuu yelled at the same time. 

"Yeah," Suzaku said and put the soul gently back in the pool. The three gods shared a glance. 

"MINE!" Genbu yelled, darting after it. When he was in snake mode he was lightning quick.

"NO WAY!" Byakko yelled, leaping for it with outstretched hands. 

"BACK OFF!" Seiryuu snarled. Byakko frantically grasped for the soul, it kept slipping away from him. His entire concentration was aimed at catching the elusive thing. He looked up for an instant and saw Genbu plowing straight for him, also hell bent on getting the soul. Byakko went wide-eyed. Not again. 

"GENBU! ST-" It was too late. The bigger god slammed into him sending both plowing into the souls. Byakko kicked his oldest brother off him and scrambled to his feet. Seiryuu had the soul and was trying to scramble out of the pool. 

"SHE'S MINE!" Byakko roared. The symbol on his forehead glowed bright white. 

"N...no," the dragon stammered. Byakko narrowed his eyes and brought his chi into his hand. White light glittered around his fingers. Seiryuu hesitated before dropping the soul back into the pool. As soon as Byakko reached for it, the dragon knocked him back and grabbed for the soul.  Byakko's chi blast caught him in mid-dive sending Seiryuu slamming back into the wall. 

            "Byakko…," Taiitsukun-sama said in a tired voice.

            "It was _mine," Byakko said, cradling the glowing thing to his chest. He padded over to his cup. Behind him, he heard Suzaku laugh._

            "Now you know how it feels, lizard breath!"

            There was the sound of flying chi and a pained squawk. Byakko sweatdropped as red feathers once again drifted through the room. For the love of heaven…

"If ANY of those souls are harmed because of your recklessness," Taiitsukun-sama snarled. "You'll never be able to sit again! That goes for you too, Byakko.

"Sorry, Taiitsukun-sama," he said, clutching the soul protectively to him.  She nodded, accepting his apology. Byakko hurried over to the goblets and slipped the soul in next to Tatara. He grinned as she appeared. White flowing hair, low cut gown. She _was sexy and was perfect to compliment his good looks. _

"You call that a seishi? Looks more like a wimp to me," Seiryuu said. Byakko looked over his shoulder. Seiryuu was standing next to Suzaku, looking at his choice. 

"Be right back, Subaru," Byakko muttered and wandered over to his brothers. He looked up at the seishi. The man was eighteen, with short dark brown hair and dark eyes. There was a calm expression on his face.

"He doesn't look like a wimp!"

"He looks like a wimp."

"I think he's handsome," Byakko said. "Another good pick." The phoenix beamed.

"Yeah! So there, lizard breath!" Byakko touched the cup, just to see what the future held for this man. The answer surprised him. He put a hand on Suzaku's shoulder.

"You know what? He's going to be an emperor. Not so weak now, huh?" Byakko said.

"Nope!" Suzaku said, beaming.

"I've picked mine," Genbu interrupted. "You still have to pick yours, Seiryuu." 

The dragon stomped to the pool, scooped one up and plopped it into the cup. A little man with long earrings and slitted eyes appeared. Byakko snickered.

"GREAT! JUST PERFECT!" the dragon snarled, throwing up his hands. "Genbu gets a cool looking man. Byakko gets a sexy chick. Suzaku gets an emperor. AND WHAT DO I GET!"

"A midget," Byakko said.

"IT'S NOT FAIR, TAIITSUKUN-SAMA! I WANT TO THROW HIM BACK!"

"You can't. It's your fault for not picking carefully." 

"Ha ha!" Suzaku said and began to dance from foot to foot pointing at Seiryuu. "You got a midget! You got a midget! Whatcha gonna call him? Chibi-you?" 

"SHUT UP!" 

"Aww...look at the cute little midget! Could he be one of the great, terrifying Seiryuu shichi seishi?!" The redhead burst out laughing. The blue symbol grew bright on Seiryuu's forehead. Taiitsukun sent him a look of pure evil that even made Byakko shiver. The dragon deflated and kicked at the ground. 

"Well he started it," Seiryuu muttered.

"Did not!"

---

Genbu rolled his eyes as the argument filled the air.

            "Did tooo!"

            "Did nooot!"

Why were younger brothers always so annoying? He pushed through the souls, trying to find one that suited his taste. No one seemed just right. He picked up one and gasped. It was…it was such a perfect soul. Sweet, nice and gentle...yet it was loyal as well and had an innocence to it that he found appealing. 

"Brothers...come see this one." The three gods entered the pool and touched the soul in his hands. There was a surprised silence.

"Wow," Byakko said. "This is a rare one…."

 Seiryuu snorted. "So he's nice? So what? Doesn't mean a thing."

"I want it," Suzaku said. Genbu glared at his youngest brother. This soul was his. He was the oldest and he'd picked it.

"Not this time, Suzaku," Byakko said. "This one's mine."

"You got the sexy one! Let me have it!" Seiryuu said.

"You only want it cuz I do!" Suzaku said.

            "Dream on, bird brain!"

"I had it first!" Genbu interrupted. "And since _I am the oldest _I _get fair claim to it!" _

"Sorry, shell face. I'm taking it," Byakko said.

"No, I am!" Suzaku said.

"You all ready have an emperor, bird brain! Let me have it!"

"No!"

Genbu growled and tried to pull the soul out of the others grip. They refused to let go and instead began pulling in their own way. Genbu was determined to have this soul! His brothers wouldn't get it! He pulled back with all he had. 

Suddenly Taiitsukun-sama was hovering over them, glaring down at them. She lifted her hand. Genbu winced as he saw the chi forming. Eek. The next thing he knew he was imbedded into the wall, back aching. Owwww.  He glanced up, one eye shut. The others were scattered in various other walls. Taiitsukun was holding the soul which hung limply from her hands.

"See what you're fighting did to him?" the old woman snapped. 

"Aw comon', Taiitsukun-sama. It's just a human," Seiryuu said.

"Just a human, Seiryuuseikun? Someday you are going to regret underestimating them." Genbu cocked his head. The soul looked weird now.  

"It's stretched," he said when he had figured it out. Byakko wrinkled his nose.

"Ugh. It is? Well I don't want a stretched soul."

"Neither do I," Seiryuu said. 

"Throw it back, Taiitsukun-sama," Genbu said. Who wanted a stretched soul? 

---

Suzaku waded through the souls and tugged on the hem of Taiitsukun-sama's dress. She looked down at him.

"Can I see it?" he asked. The creator nodded it and placed the soul in his hands. It was absurdly stretched and looked different from the rest of the souls. He felt sorry for it.

"Drop it, bird brain. It's not worth a god's time," the dragon said. The redhead scowled at his brother.

"Seiryuu's right," Byakko said. "It's going to be weak no matter how much power you put into it." 

"It's...it's fixable," Suzaku said. He patted and stroked the damaged soul. Trying to get it back to its original shape. It wouldn't go, just hung limp in his hands. It pulsed subtly and slowly…like it was dying. Suzaku gathered some chi into his fingertip and gently touched the soul. The pulse strengthened and quickened, but it was still weak. He started to put in back among the others. Then changed his mind and hugged it to him. 

He climbed out of the pool and put it into the third cup. The image sprung to life. It was a little boy. He had light brown hair, pulled up in a tall ponytail, and smiling sea green eyes. Suzaku liked him.

"It'll be okay…" he whispered to it. "Don't worry. I'll make sure that you're special. I'll find you good friends...and...and a good miko too. I won't fail you little soul… little Chiriko." Then he looked at his other seishi. "You take good care of him, Hotohori...and you too, Tamahome." 

"Good pick, Seiryuu!" Genbu said. Suzaku looked at his brother's cups. He had a woman with auburn hair. 

"Me-yow that's one good lookin' female!" Byakko said and purred appreciatively. "She's got the biggest set of-"

"Eyes," Taiitsukun-sama interrupted.

"Yeah...eyes that I've ever seen," the tiger finished. Suzaku curiously walked over to her. Her eyes were purple, sort of a pretty purple too, but they didn't look _that _ big. 

"What are you going to call her?" Suzaku asked.

"What about Ashitare?" Byakko said. "That seems to fit her." 

"No! Soi."

"No. The midget looks more like a Soi." 

"The midget is Miboshi. The woman is Soi. You have no sense of naming furball."

"Whatever."

---

Taiitsukun floated over to her corner. For the most part she ignored the name-calling and the occasional maiming. They were gods after all...pain wouldn't kill them. She watched Seiryuu jump into a pool and begin chasing after a soul. 

She nodded and looked back at the new creation she was making. It wasn't a god. She'd finally learned her lesson after creating four. No. This one was merely a helper with special powers. She needed all the helpers she could get. She molded it carefully with her chi and wondered whether or not to give it a soul.

"AAAH! TAIITSUKUN-SAMA! SEIRYUU'S BITING ME AGAIN! TELL HIM TO STOOOP!" 

"TELL HIM TO STOP MAKING FUN OF MY MIDGET!"

"TELL _HIM _TO STOP MAKING FUN OF MY CHIRIKO!"

"HE'S WEAK!"

"HE IS NOT!"

"YES HE IS!"

"AT LEAST HE ISN'T THREE FEET TALL!" There was a loud sound of teeth piercing flesh and Suzaku screamed. "TAIIITSUKUN-SAMAAAA!" 

The oracle sweat dropped. Nope. No soul for this one. Another soul was the last thing she needed. She was tired of making boys though. Maybe she'd make this one a little girl. 

--- 

Seiryuu poured his soul into the cup. The image misted before him and he blinked in confusion. He'd picked it because of the arrogance in the soul and also the determination to do anything to get what it wanted. He hadn't expected...this. It wasn't too bad actually. He kind of liked this one. 

"Hey lizard breath, what's with the face paint and feathers? Is one of you're seishi a clown?" The dragon glared at his brother. Suzaku just had to comment on everything didn't he?

"Yeah?! Well at least my seishi aren't weak like yours!" 

"THEY _AREN'T _WEAK!" 

Seiryuu pushed aside is brother and stalked over to his seishi.

"Well look! Come on! The first two are pathetic enough! But you have a kid! And look! That one has a scar! You know he lost one fight!"

"Just because he has a scar doesn't make him weak no da! He can probably kick you're seishi's butts no da! ESPECIALLY THAT MIDGET NO DAA!" Suzaku panted for breath and his brothers stared at him wide eyed.

"No...da?" Byakko asked.

"What have _you _ been drinking?" Genbu asked.

"And where can I get some?" Seiryuu asked.     

            "I...I don't know where that came from," the phoenix said sheepishly. 

"What are you going to name him?" Byakko asked. "He looks like a Tasuki to me."

"Chichiri," Suzaku said. The tiger threw up his hands.

"They never listen. Your poor seishi are going to be walking around with inappropriate names. Well don't come whining to me when you find their names don't suit their personalities. I bet you're going to name clown face something like Tomo aren't you?" Seiryuu cocked his head and went back over to the seishi. Tomo? 

"Yes...Tomo." 

"See! I knew it."

"Yes, Tomo Clownface. Seiryuu shichi seishi." The dragon's head whipped around to glare at the annoying bird.

---

Byakko wandered over to the sixth pool. They hadn't been in that yet. Again he heard Suzaku's scream. 

"TAIITSUKUN-SAMA! SEIRYUU'S GONNA EAT-" his words were suddenly cut off. Curious, the tiger turned. Seiryuu was in his dragon form, with a foot sticking out of his mouth. The white haired boy laughed softly to himself.

"Spit him out, Seiryuu…" Taiitsukun-sama demanded. Seiryuu shook his head. Now that he thought of it. Taiitsukun-sama had been awfully quiet back there in her corner. He wandered over to where she had been and saw the shape of a human tingling with magic. Well Taiitsukun-sama had said she'd wanted helpers.

The tiger winced; they'd probably be as grumpy as her too. The last thing he wanted were grumpy miniature versions of the creator. One was enough. He concentrated on pleasant thoughts and gathered his chi into his finger. He started to apply happiness to the new being. There was large thud and he looked over his shoulder.

Suzaku was sitting on the ground, looking befuddled. He was covered all over with dragon slime and loose chi energy that had been in Seiryuu's mouth. Byakko wondered why the young god looked so confused. It wasn't as if he hadn't been eaten by Seiryuu many times before, once even swallowed and boy had _that been interesting. He'd laughed so hard he'd nearly passed out. _

Then he noticed one of his brother's wings was hanging limply to the side. The tiger shook his head. Suzaku broke one or both of his wings at least once every week. It was nothing new. Taiitsukun-sama always healed him right away anyway.

He felt something draining from him and realized he was still putting energy into the creature. He yelped and pulled his finger back. Now, besides Taiitsukun energy, white chi wreathed the small figure. Oops. That was _alot of chi. He calmly walked away like he hadn't done anything and joined Genbu in his chosen pond. He hadn't done anything...oh no. Not him._

He sorted through a few souls, his other brothers joining him. Silence rang through the cave as they worked. It was strange; silence was not something he was used to. Then he found _it_, the perfect soul for his collection. Wild, arrogant and a pervert to the core. _He _ wasn't going to be _stupid  and tell everyone about it though. _

"Hey, Byakkie-kun, whatcha got?" Suzaku asked, cheerfully bouncing over to him.

"Uhh...er...nothing," Byakko stuttered. The phoenix poked it gently and grinned.

"Check it out! He's got a pervert!"

"Where?!" Seiryuu said. Genbu looked then shook his head and went about searching. Byakko sighed with relief. Now he'd only have his younger brothers to contend with. 

"Don't even think about it! The pervert is mine!"

"But..." Suzaku started. Byakko reached in, found a soul and tossed it to his brother. 

"Here. You can have this one."

"Byakkie-kun I..."

"I want the pervert Byakko!" Seiryuu growled. The tiger threw him another soul, hoping the dragon would back off. Then Byakko's eyes widened as he saw the soul he had given. It was _huge! _ It was going to be a very powerful soul. He didn't care about power as much as his scaled brother did however. All he needed to do was get the pervert out of the pool before Suzaku started whining about it.

"Byakkie-kun?" Suzaku said, tugging lightly at his tail, the tiger paused. "I was going to say I don't want the pervert. But thanks for the soul." 

Byakko grinned down at the youngest and held out a hand to help Suzaku out of the pool.

"Let's see what you got," he said, wanting to save his pervert until last.

"I like this soul. It's like me. Fiery and wild but with a soft side." Suzaku dumped the soul into the goblet and the seishi flared to life. He had wild flame colored hair and flashing amber eyes. He was smirking revealing the tip of a fang over his lower lip.

"He looks like you too," Byakko said. " I picked well. Now _this _ guy looks like a Nuriko." 

Suzaku giggled. "No. He's Tasuki."

"NO FAIR!" Seiryuu roared, " I GOT GYPPED! IT'S NOT A POWERFUL SOUL! IT'S TWO OF 'EM!" Byakko and Suzaku went over to their brother and looked at his seishi. Sure enough the single soul had formed two boys that looked exactly alike. They were average height with greenish-blond hair and blue-gray eyes. The first one had a gentle smile while the seconds was a bit wilder.

"Seiryuu...they're beautiful," Byakko said. "You weren't gypped."

"You think so?" 

"Yeah. For once you have good looking seishi lizard breath." 

"You should name that one Ashitare," he said, pointing to the first one. "And that one Amiboshi. They are twins after all." 

"Will you get off the bad naming thing?" Seiryuu muttered. Byakko switched his tail. What did his brother mean...bad naming? He snorted. 

"The first one is Amiboshi and the _second _one is Ashitare," the dragon said. 

"What about Suboshi? It sounds like Amiboshi..." Suzaku said. 

"That's a good idea. Amiboshi and Suboshi..."

"And Miboshi! HEY THERE'S A MIDGET IN THE FAMILY!" Suzaku said, bursting into gales of laughter. Seiryuu smacked him over the head. Byakko rolled his eyes and went to see his soul. The image flashed to life of a white haired man...with a smile that was half-arrogant...half drooling. Oh yeah, he *liked* this guy. 

"NO FAIR! SEIRYUU CAN'T GET *EIGHT* SEISHI!"

"YES I CAN!"

"WHY?"

"BECAUSE I'M SPECIAL!"

"HA!" 

Byakko sighed heavily. Those two needed to get along...or be gagged.

---

Genbu ignored his fighting brothers and went to a pool. He noticed out of the corner of his eye Taiitsukun-sama floating over to mediate the argument. His eyes flicked to the corner she'd been working in. He wondered over to her corner and looked at it. 

She was creating something, a helper probably. Knowing Taiitsukun probably some sour helper too. Well he would make sure that wouldn't happen. He gathered green chi into his finger and put as much happiness in as he could without the chi becoming tainted. Then he snuck away and hopped into a pool.

Byakko was there, sitting on the edge and dangling his feet in the souls. Roars echoed through the cave compliments of Seiryuu and loud screams provided by Suzaku. The older brothers exchanged glances and almost as one shook their heads.

"You know, Genbu-kun. It really isn't fair."

"Hm?" 

"Well. Suzaku has wings, Seiryuu has dragon ears, I have slitted eyes _and _ a tail...not to mention these..." he lifted a hand and slid his claws from his finger tips. " But what do you have that marks you as a beast god?"

"This," Genbu said. Then he pulled his head, legs and arms inside his skin. He didn't like doing it in boy form. It was too loud and noisy in there and to hard to sleep. He popped himself out again and glanced at the tiger. A look of disgust was on his beautiful face and one delicate hand to his stomach.

"Do me a favor, Genbu-kun."

"What?"

"Don't ever do that again." 

The oldest god smiled and picked up a soul without answering. Finding that he liked it he took it to his goblet and placed it inside. He was a boy...he looked to be in his teenaged years. His hair was black and his eyes piercing.

"Tomite," Genbu said, and smiled at his seishi. "Only one more to go."

"Yay! Byakkie-kun look! I finally have woman seishi." Out of curiosity Genbu looked as well. She was cute. Not as sexy as Soi or Subaru, but nice in her own way. Her hair was purple and hung down her back in a braid; her brown eyes were twinkling and a little mole under her left eye, added to the effect. 

"She's cute Suzaku," Genbu said.

"Yes...cute...but there's one problem," Byakko said.

"What? She's perfect."

"Suzaku...it's a man."

"She is not!"

"S…He is!"

"Is not!"

"Do you see any breasts?"

"Just because she's flat chested doesn't mean she's male!"

"What's the point of a flat chested female anyway?" Seiryuu asked. 

"IT'S A MALE!" 

"Byakko, you're pathetic," Genbu said. The tiger turned to him, golden eyes in narrow slits.  
            "What?"

---

Seiryuu and Suzaku watched as older brothers fought. Byakko was normally calm, but he had an explosive temper and they never knew just where the fuse was. White and green chi flew out everywhere.

The two youngest looked at each other and went to hide in the dark corner where Taiitsukun-sama had been. They didn't want to get hit by stray chi. Seiryuu saw the little form that Taiitsukun-sama was creating.

"Hey...do you think she's making us another brother?"

"No. I think it's just a helper."

"Probably a mean helper too...knowing Taiitsukun-sama."

"Maybe we should help her out." He put some blue chi into his finger and watched his brother do the same. He put all the happiness he could into it. Then pulled away and watched as his brother continued. 

---

Suzaku was determined to make this thing happy. It was probably already sour enough through Taiitsukun-sama's magic. He put all the happiness and energy he could spare into it. 

"SETTLE DOWN NOW!" Taiitsukun-sama yelled. "OR I'LL TURN RIGHT AROUND AND TAKE YOU BOY'S BACK HOME! YOU BOTH ARE OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW-"

"AH SHOVE IT, YA OLD BAG!" Byakko roared. Seiryuu and Suzaku glanced at each other fearfully and hit the deck.

---

Byakko ran for all he was worth trying to avoid the chi blasts that Taiitsukun-sama was throwing at him. He hadn't meant to say that! It had just slipped out! She didn't seem too happy about it though. She cornered him and lifted her hands. Byakko winced. Ohh crap.

**BOOM!!**

---

Suzaku quietly waded in the soul pool along with his other brothers not daring to say a word. Taiitsukun-sama...to put it lightly...was not a very happy creator. It wasn't just what Byakko had said either. Suzaku had the feeling that things had been building up inside all day. They hadn't exactly been good. He found a quiet soul, gentle and unassuming...but lonely too. He put it in his cup and stepped back. Then he looked up...and up...and up. This guy was tall! 

His hair was shaggy and unkempt, he had a scraggly mustache and his eyes were so very sad...like he had lost something dear to him. He stood, shoulders hunched, like he didn't want to be there, but he knew he had to be. He couldn't let his seishi be like that. Suzaku sat down on the ground and concentrated his chi onto the ground before him. Then he began molding it into a shape.

"What are you doing Suzaku?" Taiitsukun-sama asked, floating beside him.

"I'm making Mitsukake a companion."

"If you do it will change him."

"For better or for worse?"

"I don't know. Anything you do to your seishi will change them. That includes what power you give them."

"Well I think he needs someone to be with him, Taiitsukun-sama. He's so sad!" 

"Do as you wish, Suzaku." The phoenix nodded and added more to the shape. He modeled it after Byakkie-kun...although not as fierce. Now that the shape was there it was time to add the skin and fur. He gave it white fur mostly, with a little brown smudge on his forehead and an extra poofy tail with a brown tip. Then smiled and made his eyes closed like two little crescent moons. 

T          hen he frowned and gave it some hair and some clothes. He was sure this type of creature was supposed to wear clothes...weren't they? 

"Is this right Byakkie-kun?" he asked his recovering brother. Byakko was in his beast form, still looking a little singed. 

"Am _I _wearing clothes?" was all the tiger said. Suzaku shook his head, he didn't have hair either. The phoenix took of the hair and the clothes.... Well since he'd made it the neko could use them later on for something. Otherwise it would be a waste of good chi.

He then lifted the neko and set it on Mitsukake's shoulder. A change came over the human. He straightened and a light came to his eyes. His hair shortened to spikes and became wrapped in a yellow and green bandanna. The mustache disappeared and a small smile broke out on his face as he reached up to pet the neko. 

Suzaku smiled and formed his chi again. Then moved to the front of the line. He stared up at his first choice. Tamahome...a fighter he decided. He flew up and placed his hand on the man's forehead.

"Tamahome. Ogre. Wake and become my shichi seishi." The sign for monster flared bright red on his forehead and he got into a fighting pose.

---

Seiryuu glanced over at his brother. Oh yeah? Well if birdbrain could make a neko for his seishi then Seiryuu could make something for his. He already had a dog, sort of. He looked over at Ashitare and wrinkled his nose. He needed something smaller like...like a clam! 

He formed the clam and put it in Tomo's outstretched hand. The man looked ridiculous enough so why not add a clam? His fingernails grew long and bright red and he looked at the clam, an evil light flickered in his gold eyes. Seiryuu smiled. _He_ wouldn't make _his symbols so easily seen. He placed his hand on the man's hip._

"Tomo. I give you the power of illusions. Wake and become my shichi seishi."

---

Suzaku went on down the line. He gave Hotohori the power of kindness...it wasn't a great power. He made other adjustments to his seishi. He lengthened his hair down to his waist and lightened his eyes until they were brownish gold. Now he wasn't handsome...now he was beautiful. He looked at his little Chiriko and touched his foot. 

"I'm going to give you the power of knowledge. You'll know everything there is for a mortal to know and keep on learning. Use it well Chiriko. Wo ai ni." He went to the next one.

"Konnichiwa Chichiri no da!" he said with a smile. "You look sad with that scar. So I'm going to make you happy to na no da!" He placed his hand on the seishi's knee. "You have the power of magic. Also the power to look very kawaii. I want you to be happy no da!" The man's dark clothes changed to those of a monk. His bangs grew about five inches and a smiling mask suddenly covered up his scar. Suzaku grinned. He looked silly. Still he loved him. The seishi shrunk to three feet tall and made the peace sign. Suzaku giggled. Kawaii!

"Tasuki!" he shouted at the next one. "Fiery haired tough guy! You're not all the tough...but I'll let you keep your mask too. I'm gonna give you the power of speed! Also I'm going to be nice. I can't control who your family is...but I'm going to make sure your entire family is girls! 'Cept your father of course. Cause that way you'll always have someone to cook for you." Nothing changed in his outward appearance...but deep inside him Suzaku felt a sudden phobia of...milk? Well that was strange. Shrugging he skipped to the next one.

"Nuriko! You're already a blossom, so I'm going to make you an iron blossom. I give you the power of strength!" He grinned wickedly. "In a naughty place too." He reached out and touched her chest. His eyes widened.

"AAHHH!" 

"What?" Taiitsukun-sama asked.

"Byakkie-kun was right! He _is _a guy. He's a very beautiful man. Not as beautiful as Hotohori though. No one is as beautiful as Hotohori. He's the prettiest man in the world of the four gods..."

"And you're turning him into a peacock. You're words to them also affect them. Anything you do to them changes them."

"That's okay. I like peacocks. They're pretty."

---

"Soi. You have the power of lightning. Also the ability to seduce men...especially Suzaku's idiots," Seiryuu said. He was making his seishi as powerful as he could. He *would* win back the south.

"Amiboshi. You have the power to channel chi through your mouth and Suboshi the power of telekinesis. I will have a war for you to make you strong. To live on you're own...to depend on one another." Their eyes saddened somewhat. Sadness was a part of war as well; it would make them strong.

"Miboshi...I give you the power of possessing bodies...along with the other dark arts that I've sensed you've...you will learn."

"Ashitare...I give you the power of agility and speed. No one will stop you!" 

"Nakago..."

"Hey Taiitsukun-sama?" Suzaku's voice interrupted his train of thought." What's the kanji for heart? I want to give Mitsukake the one for rare heart." Seiryuu snickered.

He ran over, scraped a kanji on his brother's hand and slapped it on Mitsukake's hand. Suzaku was so surprised he charged it with chi making the symbol permanent. Suzaku looked at the glowing red symbol on the man's hand. 

"TAIITSUKUN-SAMA! SEIRYUU GAVE MITSUKAKE THE KANJI SADNESS! THAT WAS MEAN!" 

Seiryuu chuckled to himself and went back over to his seishi. He stared up at the blond man. Yes...this one would be the best. He would infuse him with so much power that Suzaku's seishi would fall before him. He gathered blue chi into his palm. All he could spare.

Suddenly Suzaku ran over, scraped a kanji on _his  hand and slapped it to Nakago's forehead. Seiryuu gasped, it was too late to change it. When he had finished giving the power he pulled his hand back._

"HEART?! _HEART?!__  HOW IS HE SUPPOSED TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY WITH A KANJI LIKE THAT PASTED TO HIS FOREHEAD?! TAIIITSUUKUNNN-SAMMMMAAAAAAAA!!!!!"_

---

Taiitsukun ignored them and finished her creation. It was almost done; it just needed one more thing. She might as well put some happiness into it. Just for her boys...and some energy as well. The creature would need it just to keep up with them.

"I am about to bring this creature to life," she announced. The young gods gathered around her. "What should I call it?"

"Nyan," Byakko said.

"Nyan?" Genbu asked.

"Nyan-Nyan!" Suzaku crowed. Taiitsukun smiled. 

"All right. Nyan-Nyan it is. Awaken Nyan-Nyan." There was a poof of chi and a little girl with sea green hair appeared.

"WE NYAN-NYAN! WE FIX FIX! WE CURE CURE! WE HAPPY FIX CURE PEOPLE! WE SEE TAIITSUKUN-SAMA HAS GREY HAIRS. WE FIX! WE CURE! WE NYAN-NYAN!" Taiitsukun narrowed her eyes and glared at the children. The four gods waved, smiled sheepishly, then scattered to the wind.

"GET BACK HERE! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU BOYS! I DON'T CARE IF YOU *ARE* IMMORTAL!" Taiitsukun screamed. 

~~~  
^^: 

Standard disclaimers apply.


	3. For the Love of Suzuno

**Spoilers for Byakko seishi.**

      She watched the four boys eating, keeping a close eye out so no one attempted to poison anyone. The last thing she needed was a repeat of last night. Genbu ate his food slowly, savoring each bite. A thoughtful look rested on his dark features. Genbu always seemed to be off in his own little world.

      Byakko ate his food slowly as well. He ate, as he did everything; with calm arrogant air…as if he didn't care one way or the other. Then again, perhaps Byakko was afraid of getting specks on his immaculate white robes.

      Seiryuu gulped down his dinner in huge bites, growling threateningly on occasion and never left the table without a fourth helping. Not that she minded. They had plenty of food, now even more so since the four kingdoms were plentiful. They had rich venison from the west, sweet water from the north, savory fish and ripe fruit from the south, and delicious rice from the east, among other things. She wished the dragon would take it slowly though. It was far more attractive.

      Suzaku ate the fastest yet it took him the longest to get done. The god would rather play then eat and if he couldn't play he'd torture his brothers. Right now, thankfully, the boy was eating. His chopsticks were a blur as he devoured everything on his plate and then some. Every now and then, Byakko would have to fend off the young phoenix's chopsticks from his own plate. The older god didn't seem to mind though. The years had mellowed him to a much more tolerant brother.

      "Taiitsukun-sama, guess what," Seiryuu said, taking a breath from his eating.

      "Taiitsukun-sama, guess what," Suzaku mocked. Seiryuu shot a glare at his brother then looked back at her. 

      "One of my seishi was born. Can I go and see him?"

      "Yeah? Which one?" Suzaku asked.

      "Miboshi." 

      "Miboshi! The midget!" Suzaku burst into a fit of giggles. "He's probably so small his parents were wondering if he was a human or a mouse!"

      "Shut up! Taiitsukun-sama, tell bird brain over here to shut up!"

      "Taiitsukun-sama, tell bird brain over here to shut up."

      "Stop copying me!"

      "Stop copying me!" 

      Seiryuu reached out and swiped at his younger brother. His fist connected with the redhead's jaw and Suzaku went sprawling out of his chair and onto the floor. Taiitsukun closed her eyes, feeling the beginnings of a headache lurking about her temples.

      "TAIITSUKUN-SAMA! DID YOU SEE WHAT HE DID TO ME?!" Suzaku wailed. Two young arms wrapped around one of hers. When she dared open her eyes, two huge tear filled eyes, the color of red wine batted up at her. 

Taiitsukun sighed heavily. It had been at least two hundred years since they had picked their seishi. Gods aged differently then mortals. Normally they gained an age every three hundred years or so. But with each new seishi's birth they gained an age or two. 

      It really all depended. Genbu was into his late thirties, if judging by human standards. Although he was now more a snake then a tortoise. Byakko was in his mid-twenties. The tiger seemed out of it lately. That was probably due to the fact that his miko had summoned him twice all ready and he was all ready weak. Taiitsukun wiped at her eyes irritably. After the 

Taiitsukun wiped at her eyes irritably. This third time, if he didn't succeed in devouring her, she would devour him. Nothing would be left of him except for the tiger. He would still retain his personality, but it would take centuries, if ever, for him to regain enough strength to attain his human form. 

      Genbu had the opposite problem. Since the unfortunate death of his miko, he was trapped between two forms. Unable to return to the tortoise form he so loved but having the serpent part of him hanging around his shoulders, continually hissing his anger to the world. 

      Then there was the gruesome twosome. Suzaku and Seiryuu, originally appearing eleven and twelve, now twelve and fourteen. She had hoped that the arrival of a new seishi would help calm Seiryuu a bit, make him more mature. Wishful thinking on her part.

      "Can I see him, Taiitsukun-sama?" Seiryuu asked again.

      "But remember, Seiryuuseikun, you must not interfere with his life in any way."

      "Yes, yes I know." The boy changed into dragon form and started to leave the table.

      "What do you say Seiryuu?" Byakko asked. The dragon rolled his eyes.

      "Thank you Taiitsukun-sama and you, oh wise

Byakko-sensei."

      "You're welcome," Byakko said. Taiitsukun shot him a stern look but otherwise didn't comment. A faint ghost of a smile was on the tiger god's face but his eyes were so distant. 

      "Tell me how your midget's doing…that is if you can find him!" Suzaku yelled. Seiryuu stomped out of the room, making the bowls on the table shake.

      "Can't you grow up?" Genbu muttered. "You don't have any more sense then the mortals."

      "Yeah? Well at least I wasn't to slow to eat _my _miko." Without warning a wave of green chi caught Suzaku in the chest, knocking him back through three walls. Taiitsukun waved a feather away from her plate then calmly sipped her tea. 

      "Suzaku hurt! We fix Suzaku! We cure Suzaku!" 

      The old woman winced as the voices filtered into the room.

The only reason she kept the Nyan-Nyan around was because Suzaku absolutely adored them. They were his playmates. Once she had caught sight of them all taking a nap in the summer grass, with the phoenix cuddled in the middle. It had nearly melted her heart. That, and that alone, was the reason she kept the critters. Well…that and the frightening thought that they had so much chi infused in them they might be impossible to destroy. 

---

      Seiryuu followed the running man. This was Miboshi…he could sense it…yet he didn't look like Miboshi. He looked quite handsome actually. Three cobalt braids twisted together at the back of his neck and dark brown eyes stared from under dark lashes. 

      Miboshi had actually been born twenty years ago…but the dragon hadn't bothered to visit him then. Children were weak. He didn't want to see his seishi weak. They had to be _strong. _Miboshi collapsed against the wall outside of a temple and slid to the ground. He panted as he tried to catch his breath and through his heavy breathing were small whines like he was trying to keep from crying. Seiryuu crouched beside him, watching. 

      "The inheritance was mine," the man snarled, clenching his hand into a fist, "Father said it was! Damn the brat for taking it from me!" Angry tears slid down his cheeks and the young seishi punched the ground. 

      ~What are you going to do?~ Seiryuu asked him mentally. 

      "What am I going to do? What can I do?" 

      Seiryuu blinked in surprise. The human had heard him? He hadn't meant to do that. Taiitsukun-sama had said not to interfere…but…but asking wasn't interfering was it?  

      "I can't kill him, all the soldiers are loyal to him now. The only way I could get my inheritance back would be to crawl inside…his skin…" The human trailed off, eyes widening. There was a thoughtful expression on his pale face. Without warning, Miboshi sprung to his feet and dashed inside the temple. Seiryuu followed him, sniffing at the incense that coiled through the halls. Ahhh…what an intoxicating smell. 

      "I want to see Jai-sama!" Miboshi snarled. The young monk he had spoken to cowered back, face pale.

      "M…my lord. Ma…many pardons but the temple master is busy."

      "I don't care!" Miboshi lifted his hand, palm up, and crooked his fingers into claws. Seiryuu perked as he felt the undeniable hum of magic fill the air.     "Do it…" the seishi continued in a soft, dangerous purr. "…Or regret it." 

      "Y…yes sir!" the young monk squeaked, tearing from the room. Miboshi dropped his hand and the magic dissipated. The dragon smirked. Heh. What a wonderful choice for a seishi.

      Why do you want to see Jai?~ Seiryuu asked, coming to stand beside him. 

      Jai knows the dark arts. He promised to teach me…and I will take him up on it. I _will_ get my lands back from my brat of a younger brother." 

      Seiryuu rolled his eyes. Well _that_ explained a lot. Younger brothers got everything. The attention, the love, the freedom to do whatever they wanted. It really wasn't fair. After a while, a monk in a black cloak entered the room.

      Did you bring anyone with you?"

      No."

      Come with me, my son." 

      Seiryuu followed them down the hall, then up a narrow set of stairs into a cramped room, filled with scrolls. A window was set on the east wall and looked out over the sleeping village. 

      "What do you want this time? A spell for mutating flesh? Raising the dead? Or perhaps, more demon summoning charms?"

      "I want to learn how to control people's minds.

      "Ah…to defeat your brother no doubt."

      "And who are _you loyal to, old man?" Miboshi asked, leaning forward. The old monk waved a hand._

      "I am only loyal to the great god, Tenkou." 

      Seiryuu's scales rippled at the word and he felt a growl rise in his throat. The name seethed in his mind. Tenkou. That damned maijin. They had sealed him during the Genbu no Miko's time. He was gone, yet his evil presence still remained. Damn the monk for even _speaking _of him!

      "What can you teach me then?"  
      "What exactly is your goal, my son?"

      "I want to control my brother's mind." Miboshi sat back, folding his arms. "Even if I can't rule myself I can at least do it through him. Perhaps even manipulate him to get me back into power…"

      "What if you were to _become your brother?" the monk asked. Miboshi lifted an eyebrow._

      "What do you mean?"

      "I can teach you a power that would make you greater then Seiryuu…greater then all four beast gods. Perhaps even as mighty as Tenkou himself!"

      The dragon's eyes narrowed. If that wind bag mentioned Tenkou one more time… 

      "I can teach you…" the monk continued. "To completely invade another's body. To replace their soul with yours." 

      "Show me."

      The lesson progressed. It was elaborate, ritualistic and complete nonsense. Seiryuu curled up at the window, resting his head between his claws and watched snoozed. The acrid scent of blood woke him. He opened his eyes to slits. Miboshi was lying on the ground, a dagger buried in his throat. His soul was standing over the body, looking a little bewildered. The soul looked up at him and anger flickered through it. Interesting. Most humans would be afraid.

      ~I'm dead, aren't I?~ 

      ~You are,~ Seiryuu said, piercing the soul with a look. ~But you don't have to be.~ Then he made himself invisible even to the spirit world. Miboshi seemed to think on this for a moment, then smirked. Seiryuu followed his seishi's spirit out the window and into the darkening night.  

      Soon, he saw a young man on horseback, traveling to the monastery. There were a couple soldiers behind him. The horses squealed, prancing nervously. 

      "Sir! There are evil spirits in the air, sir!" a soldier said.

      "Are you scared?" the man asked, pulling his horse back to look the pale soldier in the eye.

      "I…I…well…I…"

      Without another word, the man pulled out a sword and sliced off the soldier's head in one, clean, stroke. Blood sprayed on his face and clothes, but he didn't even flinch.

      "Any one else frightened?" the young man snarled, pointing the blood soaked weapon at the others. They didn't say a word. He cleaned the sword off on the dead soldier's saddle cloth then sheathed it.

      "That's one gone… Still, five should be _more then enough to take care of that idiot brother of mine."_

      ~Idiot am I?~ the soul hissed. It twisted down and entered the young man. He sat straight and still in the saddle. Seiryuu could sense the two souls fighting for dominance. Although the young man's soul wasn't weak, Miboshi was far too strong for it. Seiryuu smirked as the youngest brother's soul was shoved out of the body and was carried away by the night wind. 

      "M…master?" a soldier said, tentatively coming closer. Miboshi looked at him, then his gaze flicked down to the dead soldier on the ground.

      "I don't care how frightened you are." He looked all his soldiers in the eye. "As long as you obey my order without question that," he said, pointing for emphasis. "Will never happen to you."

      "Y…yes sir!" The soldiers said, still a little unsure. Seiryuu nodded. That was a smart idea. Killing men because of a stupid emotion was foolish. There were easier ways to control the minds of mortals. Miboshi, now true master of his city, rode off. There was only one thing left to take care of.  

      He flew back to the temple. The monk was there, hunched over a scroll. 

      "The fool," the monk muttered. "You can't possess people, that's just a fairy tale. The real power is in the blood. With this spell I shall be greater then Seiryuu. I shall be a god!" 

      OH…REALLY? The dragon said, appearing before the monk. Jai looked up at him, the ink brush falling from his limp fingers. His mouth dropped open and a sound much like a choking kitten came out. 

      THE HEAVENS ARE CROWDED ENOUGH AS IT IS, THANK YOU,AND THE LAST THING I NEED IS ANOTHER LITTLE BROTHER. 

      "I…I…I call upon the power of Tenkou!" the monk screamed, clutching at the scroll. "May his mighty power come down and slay you, foul-" Seiryuu bit him in half, cutting off his gibbering words. The monk's blood was bitter on his tongue. He spat the blood out and left the way he had come. If Taiitsukun-sama wanted to punish him for it, then so be it. Even if Tenkou was sealed…the dragon wasn't about to take any risks. 

---

      Byakko rested on the top of Mt. Taikyoku. It was a flat peak, hidden in the clouds that humans never saw and only gods could get to. He propped his chin on his fist and stared across his western lands. Soon he would no longer be a man. His miko…his Suzuno was strong. She would eat away his human form. She would devour him. He sighed and closed his eyes. Many times had he chosen his beast form over his human one. Now that he was about to lose the shape forever, he almost wished he hadn't. 

      Something warm came and curled by his side. He knew who it was and didn't bother to look down. Instead he wrapped his free arm around his youngest brother and pulled him against him. Suzaku rested his head on the ground and gazed toward the south. Ever since Suzuno had appeared, they'd gotten closer. Suzaku had taken such an interest in Byakko's seishi that he couldn't help but develop a soft spot for the young god. 

      "This may be the last time we'll be able to snuggle like this, Suzaku," Byakko said, fighting hard to keep the tears from his voice. The redhead twisted his head to look at him.

      "That's okay!" he chirped. "You're still Byakkie-kun when you're a tiger too and when you can't hold me I'll hold you!" 

      The white haired man smiled at his brother's words and kissed the top of his head.

      "Hey! I made a rhyme!"

      "Yes you did."

      "Wait 'till I tell it to the Nyan-Nyan, they love rhymes." 

      Byakko winced. He would hear that rhyme echoing in his head for years to come if Suzaku told them. They'd never shut up about it. He wasn't about to tell his brother this…. The Nyan-Nyan could do no wrong in the phoenix's eyes. 

      They were silent for a while and the tiger watched the goings on. He couldn't bear to watch his seishi…not with knowing…what would happen. Instead he watched the farmers and the other poor people, peering into their dreams as they slept. He found a little boy having a nightmare and absently reached out to sooth it. The boy smiled and relaxed and the tiger smiled softly. 

      "Hey, Byakkie-kun, can I come with you when you're summoned? I'll stay invisible. Please?"

      "No, Suzaku. It's not for you to watch." He didn't want his youngest brother to see him weakening…to see his power fading.

      "Please, Byakkie-kun," Suzaku begged, fixing adorable eyes on him "You don't want to be alone…do you?" 

      Byakko sighed…he was more then trapped in those eyes.

      "All right, all right. But you have to stay invisible and not a word," Byakko said sternly. The boy giggled wildly and Byakko glared at him. "Not a word, Suzaku."

      "All right…not a word," he giggled again. "A sound maybe. I'll screech so loud half you're seishi will wet themselves." 

      Byakko tried to maintain the glare at his brother but couldn't keep his lips from twitching into a smile. 

      "Your miko'd probably pass out from the shock of it and the other seishi would go running for the hills; with the pervert in the lead." 

      "You little brat!" Byakko said with a laugh.  "You should be punished for even thinking that." He began to tickle his brother's ribs. The phoenix writhed and squirmed, trying to get out from under his fingers, giggling all the while. 

      "Stop! Stop! Please!"

      "Do you give?"

      "Yes! Yes! I give!" 

      Byakko stopped and smiled down the youngest. A wicked grin flared on Suzaku's face.

      "I give revenge!" Suzaku reached for him with outstretched fingers. Byakko rolled to his feet and bounded away. 

      "Ah, ah, ah, little one," he said, shaking his finger at him. "You have to catch me first. In human form." 

      "I will then!" Suzaku said bouncing to his feet.

      "You can't even keep up," Byakko said, flicking his hair over his shoulder.

      "Wanna make a bet?" The phoenix launched himself in the air and flew at him. Byakko laughed and ran. 

---

      Suzaku yawned and opened his eyes. He had finally caught Byakko and they had fallen asleep on a drifting cloud. His brother was still asleep, eyes closed tightly against the morning sun. The redhead reached up to tickle under his brother's chin A loud purr rumbled deep in Byakko's chest. Then he rolled over right on him. Suzaku gasped.

      "Ack! Get off, Byakkie-kun! You're squishing me!" 

      Byakko remained still for a minute or two. Then rolled off again. The redhead sat up, gasping for breath. 

      "That should teach you to interrupt a cat nap," Byakko said, tweaking his nose. Suzaku grinned and was about to say something. When a clear voice lifted into the air. 

      "Kaijin!" 

      Byakko winced and began to descend. _No!_ Suzaku thought. This was happening to soon. She was calling him to soon! It wasn't fair.  He followed his brother silently though, knowing Byakko wouldn't listen to reason. He saw the miko and her seishi gathered together. Byakko's white symbol glowed on the girl's forehead. 

      Suzaku knew Byakko was still invisible to the human's eyes. He reached out and touched his brother's arm. Telling him with his eyes that it was going to be all right. Byakko smiled, then focused his attention back to his miko.

      "I wish me and Tatara will always be together, I wish to stay here." 

      Suzaku smiled. That was sweet. He liked that miko. She loved so much to want to stay in this world rather then hers.  Byakko floated down and appeared before them. He looked sad again, his eyes were downcast. 

      I'M SORRY. THAT IS THE ONE WISH I CANNOT GRANT.

      Suzaku gasped. That wasn't right! That couldn't be right!

      B…but…" the miko stammered.

      I CANNOT, Byakko repeated. 

      "No! You have to!" Suzuno cried. The desperation in her voice made Suzaku's throat twist. The one called Tatara came up to her side, holding her close.

      "Suzuno, it's all right. If he says he cannot. He cannot. Let it be."

      "But Tatara, I don't want to leave you. I love you!"

      "I love you as well, but we must…" he paused, tears streaming from his eyes. "We must part…and we must be strong."

      "Tatara," she sobbed, leaning into him. Suzaku shook his head. No, they couldn't be separated. Not when they loved each other that much! It wasn't fair! If Byakkie-kun was going to lose his humanity then he should lose it for a good cause. He alighted by his brother's side, still invisible and tugged on his sleeve. 

      "Byakkie-kun," he said in a voice only his brother could hear. "What are you saying? You have to keep them together! Can't you see how much they love each other?"

      "Yes…little one. I can see. It breaks my heart but I can do nothing. The laws of heaven won't allow it."

      "WHO CARES ABOUT THE LAWS OF HEAVEN!?" Suzaku screamed, fisted his hands at his sides. "Can't you see? They're in love. Love conquers everything! You have to show them that. It isn't fair that they should hurt. Please Byakko, I'll help! I'll give you my powers and together maybe we can…."

      "If you do that, what will happen to your miko? Would you leave her with no power to draw on?"

      "B…but I don't have a miko yet and I…."

      "You will, little brother, and you will love her. You will want to give her all you have."

      "No I won't I…"

      "You forget; I know you." Byakko laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I know this hurts you, but this is the way it must be. Even together, our powers would not be enough." He sighed, shaking his head. "They should never have fallen in love." 

      "You can't help love," Suzaku whispered. The tiger didn't comment to that. The miko made her final wish. Suzaku turned away. Byakko wouldn't want him to watch the draining of his powers. 

      "Goodbye… Tatara… goodbye," the miko's voice whispered, then faded away. 

      "Suzuno," Tatara cried. Tears streamed down the god's face as he heard the seishi cry. It wasn't right. It wasn't _fair. It shouldn't have happened that way! Strong but gentle teeth latched themselves on the back of his neck and he found himself being carried up into the air. Byakko set him down on the cloud and rested beside him. _

      Suzaku looked at his brother. He was a tiger now and his face was expressionless. Only his eyes showed his pain. He stroked the tiger's fur gently.

      "You're still beautiful, Byakkie-kun. Not even heaven could take that away from you," Suzaku whispered. He climbed between Byakko's paws, wrapped his arms as far as they would go around his neck, buried his face in his fur and cried. The tiger purred softly in comfort and curled himself around the boy as the cloud drifted lazily on.

Notes: To answer your question, Fire Pendant, yes the gods _do have seasons. Genbu is winter, Seiryuu is spring, Suzaku is fall and Byakko is autumn. Although I think it would be better if it was the other way around with Seiryuu and Byakko. ^^: _

More to come!

Night~Mare 


	4. Origins

Origins 

Seiryuu scowled at the little boy. _This was Ashitare? He didn't even look like he had back at the soul pools. All the years he had waited for a new seishi and this sniveling __boy was all he had? It was late at night and the stupid human had gotten lost in the woods. These were dangerous woods as well. _

      The dragon watched, not because he was concerned, but because he was dead bored. Home was not a place he wanted to be. Taiitsukun-sama was mad, Genbu was snappish, Byakko was sleeping and Suzaku was playing tag with the Nyan-Nyan. 

      The howl of a rogue wolf echoed through the night. The boy gasped and put his hands over his ears. The dragon snorted, oh, real smart move. He was thrilled to be blessed with such an intelligent seishi. 

Golden eyes flickered like two lamps in the moonlight. The wolf came closer to the boy. Seiryuu watched the confrontation with interest. Maybe this could actually be exciting. The boy backed up a step, then turned and ran.

Ugh. What an _idiot_! There was no way he could out run a wolf. The creature charged after Ashitare. Seiryuu followed in dragon form a few feet above the wolf. 

      He watched the boy run and tasted his fear in the air. What a coward. His seishi should be _strong, not pathetic. There was nothing he could do, though, except watch. In the words of Taiitsukun-sama: "Don't interfere." He scowled. If he didn't interfere soon he wouldn't have a seishi to interfere with. _

      The boy tripped then, sprawling into the leaves and the dirt. The wolf leapt at him and the boy screamed. Seiryuu sighed in frustration. This was not going well at all. The animal clamped onto the boy's throat. Blue light flared around them both. Seiryuu cocked his head. Well this was unexpected. The boy and wolf were…changing, melting into one another. Their pained screams combined into one painful howl that seemed alarmingly human…yet defiantly animal. When the light faded, the familiar Ashitare stood there. Although a much smaller version. Part man and part wolf, and hungry. 

      ~Hungry, mortal? Hungry for what?~

      "I don't know," the boy/wolf whined. "I'm scared." 

      ~Don't be. Food will take away your fear. Just eat something.~

      "I don't know what to eat."

      Seiryuu sighed. This was getting aggravating. ~Just eat the first thing that comes to your mind.~ 

      "My…family?" the boy/wolf asked…but Seiryuu was all ready gone.

---

---

      Suzaku stood straight up, staring out the window. He could feel it, deep down in the very core of his being. It had happened, finally, it had happened. He clapped his hands together and shrieked.  His heart raced as fast as his feet as he half ran, half flew to the west side of the mountain. Slamming the door to his brother's room open, he tackled the sleeping tiger with a flying hug. Byakko started awake.

      "Wha?"

      "YAY! BYAKKIE-KUN! I FELT IT! HE'S HERE! THE FIRST ONE! HE'S HERE! I WANNA SEE HIM! CANNI? CANNI? HUH? CANNI?" 

      "The first what?" 

      "SEISHI!" Suzaku cried, bouncing up and down. Byakko yawned and stretched.

      "Well let's go ask Taiitsukun-sama."

      "Awwww, do we gotta ask that old bag?"

      "Yes we do, and if you don't lower you're voice I'm going to tell her you said that." They went out into the hall. "Honestly, you and Seiryuu have all the manners of field hands."

      "But you're the one who first called her that, Byakkie-kun…"

      The tiger sweatdropped but said nothing. It seemed forever until they reached Taiitsukun-sama's rooms. When at long last they arrived, they found her brushing her long white hair with her back to them. 

      "What?" she asked without even turning around.

      "HE'S HERE! HE'S HERE!" Suzaku yelled. Byakko glared at him and Suzaku lowered his voice. "My first seishi. Can I see him? Canni, Taiitsukun-sama?"

      The creator turned and raised an eyebrow. "He's just a baby now. He won't have power until he's much older." 

      "I don't care, I still want to see him. Canni? Pleeeease?" He snuggled up to her side and batted his eyes, putting on the cutest face he could muster. After a moment she sighed. 

      "Fine, you can go."

      "YAYYY! Okay! I love you! Bye!" Suzaku jumped into the air and darted for the window.

      "Just a minute!" Taiitsukun-sama snapped, grabbing his tail. He looked back at her and frowned. Had she changed her mind all ready? She was looking at his brother.

      "Byakko-kun, go with him please. Just to make sure he doesn't get into any trouble."

      "All right," the tiger said, nodding. 

      Suzaku frowned. "I wouldn't get into trouble, Taiitsukun-sama."   

      "I know you wouldn't, not intentionally anyway. But sometimes you can be a bit too…"

      "Enthusiastic?" Byakko prompted. 

      "Exactly."

      "Oh…" Suzaku didn't understand. What was wrong with being enthusiastic? Oh well. 

      "Now get out of here," Taiitsukun-sama said, waving her hands. "I have work to do."

      "All right! Thank you Taiitsukun-sama!" He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her withered cheek. "Comon' Byakkie-kun!" he chirped, letting go of his creator and diving out the nearest window. He changed into his beast form on the way down, tucking his wings close to his body and plunging through the clouds.

      "Slow down, Suzaku!" Byakko called. "He's not going anywhere!" Suzaku reluctantly braked, spreading his wings. He hovered impatiently in the air, waiting for his brother. The tiger bounded down to him and the two descended together. 

      "Is he going to be a little baby? An infant? I don't want to scare his parents."

      "No. He's got to be a few months by now…maybe a year." 

      Suzaku stared at him. "But…but he was just born!"

      "Time passes faster for us then it does for mortals."

      "Oh." 

      Suzaku fluttered to a landing outside the house. It was sunset and there were still a few people working outside. Byakko used his powers to silently open the door. Changing back into boy form, he quietly crept inside.

      The little seishi was lying in a wooden cradle. Suzaku kneeled beside it and peered down at him. The baby's blue hair was messy and small bangs curled over his forehead. The phoenix felt his heart melt. How cuuuute! Suzaku folded his wings behind him and concentrated.

      ~What are you doing, Suzaku?~ Byakko asked in his mind. He ignored the older god until the transformation was complete. His wings were now gone and he looked like any other mortal. 

      "Nothing…" he whispered. Byakko's eyes were wide.

      ~How…how did you do that so easily?~ 

      The redhead shrugged. "I've always been able to." Turning his attention back to the baby, he gently stroked the seishi's soft cheek. It was soft, like the lining of a cloud.

      "Hi, Chichiri…no da…" he added with a giggle.

      The young seishi moved and his eyes flittered open. The baby was unscarred and both eyes were big and brown. Even now, they were filled with curiosity and love. 

      "Hello, little one."

      "Washuu," the baby gurgled. "Bssuhabbb." Suzaku smiled.

      "You're cute! Can you speak yet?"

      "Phlupp." 

      "Is that a yes or a no?" the phoenix asked.

      "'es! Ess esss esss," the baby said and giggled, clapping his chubby hands. Then he lifted small, soft arms in the air.       

      "Up! Up! Papa!" he demanded. Suzaku laughed.

      "I'm not your papa, but I'll lift you up." He picked up the boy and held him on his hip. Chichiri grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled. 

      "Kablubb!" he announced cheerfully. 

      "Not kablubb," Suzaku said, trying to loosen the child's death grip. "Hair."

      "Har?" 

      ~Is this the one you spoke so funnily to?~ Byakko asked. ~No…da wasn't it?~

      "Noda," the baby said, then giggled. "Noda, noda, noda, noda!"

      "Byakko," Suzaku whispered. "Shh."

      ~Oops. Sorry, did I do that?~

      "Do dat? Do dat noda?"

      "Byakko!"

      ~Sorry!~ 

      "Sry noda. Har noda. Papa noda."

      "No…no, no da," Suzaku whispered, shaking his head. Taiitsukun-sama would _kill him if she he ever found out about this! This was definite influencing._

      "Na noda," the baby mimicked. "Putdown noda." 

Suzaku put the baby on the floor. Chichiri crawled over to Byakko, sat down and looked up. 

      "Kittycat noda." 

      "He can see you?" Suzaku asked.

      ~Babies can see anything. That's what makes them so special.~ 

      "Seshal noda. Seshal kittycat noda." Chichiri reached out and seized Byakko's tail. Suzaku stifled his laughter as the tiger tried to pull his tail from the seishi's tenacious grip. 

      "I think he likes you Byakkie-kun."

      ~Kindly remove your seishi from my tail before I'm forced to bite him.~ 

      "Bife noda!" the seishi crooned. Then he jerked Byakko's tail forward and bit it.

      ~YAAAA!!~ The tiger roared.

      "Yaa nodaaaa! Chich bife tall noda! Yaaa!!" The baby was clearly enjoying this and Suzaku was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

      ~GET HIM OFF!~ Byakko snarled.

      "Geff off noda!" the baby giggled. "Geff off yaaa da!" 

      "Comon Chichiri." Suzaku gently tried to pry the child's hands away. "You've gotta let go."

      "My tall noda! My!" 

      Suzaku finally managed to free his brother's tail. Chichiri's little face screwed up.

      "He looks like he's eaten something sour. Do you think he's trying to tell us something?"

      ~Maybe he's hungry,~ Byakko said with a shrug. Chichiri opened his mouth and took a deep, deep breath. Suzaku had a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. The wail that rocked the house nearly made both gods jump out of their respective skins.

      "Ah! No! Shh, Chichiri! Shh!"

      ~Change back to god form, you moron! Hurry!~

      "I can't do it under pressure! I have to concentrate! Give him back your tail!"

      ~WHAT?~

      Chichiri wailed again, face turning almost as blue as his hair. To add to the noise he began to kick the floor with his feet.

      "Byakko!"

      ~All right, all right! Here!~ He held out his tail for the seishi but the baby wouldn't take it. Suddenly the door opened and light filled the room. A woman stood framed in the doorway. In one hand was a lantern, in the other a broom.

      "What's wrong, little Houjun?" Then she looked at Suzaku and screamed. The boy winced.

      "I…I can explain I…." 

      The woman scooped up her baby in one hand and with the other started beating him upside the head with a broom.

      "THIEF! KIDNAPPER! GET OUT OF HERE!" The woman screamed. Suzaku yelped and covered his head.

      "Byakko help me!"

      "Byakko won't help you in this house, little vermin! This is the south! Suzaku rules here! So get out!" 

      The woman punctuated each word with a broom slap. He backed into the corner and hunched down.  She switched the broom to the handle and started jabbing it into him. 

      "BYAKKO!"

      ~What do you want _me _to do?! Bite her?!~ 

      "What's wrong?" came a man's voice.

      "THERE'S A THEIF IN HERE WHO TRIED TO STEAL OUR BABY!"

      "No! No! It's not like that!" 

      The woman stepped aside and the man came up to him. Hands on hips. 

      "You're a young thief, explain yourself boy." 

      Suzaku looked up fearfully. The man's face was shadowed by a large conical hat.

      "Umm…would you believe I'm Suzakuseikun and I'm just checking up on my seishi?" the phoenix squeaked.

      "No," the man said coldly.

      "Didn't think so." 

      Byakko came up behind the man and swatted the kasa off his head.

      ~Do something with that!~ the tiger said. Suzaku gripped the hat on either side and infused it with chi.

      "Bye Chichiri!" he called. Then he slipped the kasa over his head and activated the transportation spell. He popped on a tree by the house and concentrated. The chi formed around him, vanished and he was himself again. He flapped his wings experimentally. Suddenly a large, white paw slapped him upside the head sending him tumbling from his perch.

      "Don't you _ever do something that stupid again," he snapped. "I nearly had a heart attack!"_

      "Sorry," Suzaku said with a sheepish smile. He turned the kasa over in his hands. "I defiantly can't leave _this _lying around. Maybe Taiitsukun-sama will know what to do."

      "You might not live long enough to find out…" Byakko muttered.

---

Notes: Okay, so maybe Chichiri was a little advanced for his age. But he IS a seishi after all. So NYAH. ^_~

Standard Disclaimers Apply

Night~Mare


	5. Auryu

**As the title suggests, spoilers for Nakago's past**

      Seiryuu found himself returning to the mortal's home more and more often. It was so much better then the chaos back home. Besides, he liked to check on his seishi from time to time. 

      Miboshi was currently in the body of a farmer…at least that's what the man used to be. Now he was a murderer who hid in the day and killed at night, using the blood he gathered for dark spells. Seiryuu found himself edgy around Miboshi. There was so much evil around him…and the seishi was beginning to associate himself more and more with Tenkou. Maybe, though, after the miko appeared, he would realize his true place. 

      Ashitare was becoming a terror, running through the woods, half naked and stealing children in the night. He had, quite literally, gone insane. Seiryuu didn't understand. This wasn't the way he had planned it. He'd wanted his seishi to be _strong. To __win. Why couldn't they do that and keep their sanity? _

      There was still one chance though. Seiryuu was watching him now. The boy ran through the fields, sun shining on his golden blond hair. Nakago… His pride and joy. The boy was dashing through the fields with others of his tribe, battling a leather ball around. He was laughing, light shining in his sky blue eyes. Oh yes, this one was going to be strong. Beautiful and strong. 

      "I'm getting bored," one of the boys said, giving the ball a little kick. "I wanna do something else. Let's play bandits."

      "Aww, we always play bandits," said another boy. "I want to go fishing."

      "I want to keep playing ball," said a third. 

      "What should we do, Ayuru?" the first asked. All the boys looked at Nakago. Pride filled the dragon's heart. Even now, people followed him. 

      "Why don't we have a race?" the blond said. "Winner gets to choose the next game."

      As expected, everyone agreed with this. They all lined up. Seiryuu changed into boy from and slipped beside Nakago. None of the mortals could see him of course. At the word 'go' they all took off. Nakago effortlessly pulled ahead of the others. Seiryuu watched the young mortal's face. His eyes were open only a little, showing glints of deep blue through golden lashes. Heh. None of Suzaku's pathetic seishi could top _this._

      Suddenly there was a yelp from one of the others. Nakago stopped and the boys stopped with him. Seiryuu turned with them to see what had happened. The boy who had wanted to fish was sitting on the ground, clutching his ankle.

      "What happened?" a boy asked. "Fall and hurt yourself?" 

      "I…I think I twisted my ankle." 

      "Well that was stupid. Can you walk?" 

      "Yeah…I think so." He got to his feet and hobbled a few steps. 

      ~Leave him behind,~ Seiryuu thought. ~He's weak. He doesn't matter.~

      "Let's leave him," another boy said. "He can get back to camp on his own." 

      "Yeah," others chorused. The injured boy frowned, tears welling in his eyes. Ugh. How pathetic. 

      "It's all right Senkyo," Nakago said, going to the boy's side. "I'll help you."

      "Comon' he's weak! If you stop and help him you won't win the race!" 

      ~Yes, Nakago. He's not worth it. If he can't do it on his own, he isn't worth it!~ Seiryuu growled.

      The human ignored him and let the other boy lean on him. The other boys shook their heads and ran on ahead. Seiryuu snarled in disgust. He was strong in body but weak in his spirit! He shouldn't be helping this boy, he should be leaving him!

      "Th…thank you Ayuru-kun."

      "Don't worry about it. Let's go to the healer so she can look at your ankle, okay?"

      "Yeah…" 

      "He's nice," said a voice from behind Seiryuu. The dragon turned, fixing his little brother with a glare. Suzaku smiled. "I like him."

      "He's weak," the dragon snapped.

      "Nuh-uh! Ashitare is weak! He's just a doggie after all! I could defeat him just by throwing a bone at him."

      "Could not, bird brain!"

      "Geez, for someone who's sixteen, you still act like a five-year-old!" 

      "Shut up," he snarled, getting right in the phoenix's face. The twelve-year-old took an exaggerated step back, waving a hand in front of his nose.

      "You know, Seiryuu, there's this ingenious little plant that grows around here called mint. You should really go eat some. Your breath is terrible!" 

      "GET OUT OF MY COUNTRY, BIRD BRAIN!" the dragon roared. 

      Suzaku laughed, changed into phoenix form and darted into the air.  Seiryuu chased him, sending chi blasts like crazy. Suzaku avoided the bolts of chi easily. Damnit, he was getting too good at doing that. The southern border was coming up. Suzaku landed on his side and began to preen his feathers into place. Seiryuu stopped before the border. A part of him wanted to blast the bird brain right here and be done with it. The other part, however, wanted to show how much more mature he was. Suzaku continued to ignore him, twisting his head so he could pluck at the base of his peacock like feathers. Seiryuu turned and staled away, stupid brat. Almost as soon as his back was turned, the phoenix spoke.

      "Ooh, look, I'm in the lizard's country!"

       Seiryuu clenched his hands into fists and whipped around. Suzaku's talon was resting over the border. 

      "I'm in your country. I'm in your country," the red bird sang. With a sudden movement Seiryuu lunged, attempting to bite his foot off. Suzaku jerked it back just in time and cocked his head.

      "You really are getting slow, lizard breath." Suzaku made a few hopping steps further down the border line, using his wings as balance. "Look! I'm in you're country!" he chirped, hopping over the line.

      "Now I'm out of your country. In your country! Out of your country. In your country! Out of your country. In you're coun-" Seiryuu changed into dragon form and stepped on him with a claw. Suzaku squawked in startled pain. Seiryuu smiled. Why hadn't he thought of this before?

      "TAIITSUKUN-SAMAAA! SEIRYUU'S STEPPING ON ME AN HE WON'T GET O-" Seiryuu released his foot and laid on his brother, making sure the small phoenix got the full brunt of his weight. Seiryuu listened happily to his brother's muffled whining. Then dropped his head between his claws and sighed. Ah peace and quiet. He closed his eyes. The sun's warm rays baked his scales. Mm. What a perfect day. Might as well take a nap.  

      He woke to the sounds of war. They were far from here, but were clear to his ears. Smoke and blood filled his nostrils and he could see the soldiers in the distance. They were attacking a small camp. Nakago's camp. 

      Seiryuu stood, took his brother's foot in his teeth, threw him up in the air and slammed his tail into the phoenix's midsection, sending him sailing over the border. Then he went to where the fighting was. The tribe was being gutted. The bodies of dead men and children hung everywhere. Women's screams echoed through the smoke filled air as well as the cries of dying men. He changed into human form and went to where his seishi was.

      Nakago was standing at the entrance to a tent, watching in utter shock as soldiers raped his mother. Not acting…just watching. How annoying. The boy had the power to kill every one of these men and he wasn't even using it! How weak.

      ~Do something!~ the god commanded.

      "B…but…," the boy whimpered, tears streaking down his face. 

      ~DO IT NOW!~ 

      "I can't!"

      ~Then watch your mother die.~ 

      There was utter silence. For a moment, the mortal world disappeared and the only thing that existed was this young seishi. Seiryuu could hear the boy's heart beat. Suddenly, Nakago screamed, the sign 'kokoro' bursting to life on his forehead. He lifted his hand. Seiryuu felt his own energy drain slightly as the boy drew it from him. Everything slammed into high gear. Nakago lifted his hand, there was a blinding burst of light, then in a blink, it was all over. Nothing was left but four corpses.

      Seiryuu's eyebrows lifted. In killing the soldiers he'd killed his mother as well. How ironic. Oh well. The woman was nothing more then a hindrance anyway. Nakago would do better without her. Seiryuu noted with disgust that the boy was crying. Two soldiers approached. Nakago didn't even struggle as they took him. The little idiot. 

      The dragon followed as they took the seishi to the emperor. The Kutou emperor… now there was a weak man. Weaker even, then Nakago. Ruled by his wants…rather then his strength. He was a greedy man, however, and greedy men tended to rule for a long time.

      "Are you sure he's one of the Seiryuu shichi seishi?" the emperor asked, a look of disgust crossing his face.

      "Yes sir, we saw the kanji on his forehead before he killed the soldiers."

      _Perhaps we should kill him anyway, the emperor thought. _He might kill me one day. __

      If the Emperor tried, they would all die. Nakago would not allow himself to be killed. Perhaps, though, it would be better if the emperor lived. Maybe he could make Nakago stronger. Just maybe…

      ~Why kill him?~ Seiryuu told the man. ~If you take him now, you can easily control him. To have such a powerful seishi under your influence would make you the greatest of all time.~

      "He's so pretty," the emperor said. "He looks more like a girl then a boy… We'll keep him." A smile curved the man's lips.

      Seiryuu nodded. The emperor would either make Nakago stronger or shatter him. In the end, it was all for his own good. 

      ~Remember, Nakago,~ he said, looking straight into his seishi's empty eyes. ~If you're strong, you live. If you're weak, you die. That's the way it goes.~

---

Notes: Yeaaah. Seiryuu-kun can be a jerk sometimes…but it's in his nature and I love him anyway. I love them all. ^^; *looks at last line and whistles innocently* Shishio? Who's Shishio? 

Standard Disclaimers Apply

Night~Mare


End file.
